We run the Night

Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), out of work and with a criminal record, finds an outlet for his burning ambition by entering the world of crime journalism. Disturbingly real, and with cringe-worthy acts from Louis that make sure that he gets the most shocking story every night and drives up TRPs, and with a partnership with the morning news director of a deadbeat news channel – Nina (Rene Russo), Louis finds that crime – or its grisly aftermath – does pay, and how. Handling competition and crime victims with a ruthlessness that borders on psychopathy, this Nightcrawler is a must watch, perhaps not for casual family viewing

16/20

Good Show Baby!

After the fiasco of Indian super-heroes and secret agents in overhyped movies like Bang Bang and Happy New Year, the success of which frankly speaks very poorly of the tastes of the Indian movie-goer, comes a convincing action thriller from the Akshay Kumar stable. Baby (Hindi) is a covert outfit pulled together post the 2008 December Mumbai attacks – its objective is covert ops, its identity a closely held secret, its mission always under a cloak of plausible deniability. Spanning across Istanbul, Nepal and Saudi Arabia, Baby pulls it off – not slick, but somewhat stodgy and believable, with believable characters. Nicely done guys

15/20

Inimitable

‘Tis the Oscar season and I was wondering why The Imitiation Game, centered around one Alan Turing and his involvement with cracking Enigma – the German cipher – and greatly influencing the course of the Allies’ victory in World War II – has got some 8 nominations. After watching the movie, I ceased to wonder. Benedict Cumberbatch, not short in the sterling performances department, gives the performance of a lifetime. The relationship between Alan and Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) is strongly reminiscent of that between Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind. Here is a genius – narcissistic, lonely, estranged and utterly convinced. And he changes the world completely – ends the greatest war in human history, and basically invents the computer to boot (no pun intended). Stunning character acting. Unmissable by leaps and bounds

16.5/20